Gate.



PATBNTED SEPT. 26, 1905. G. W. FOX an). E. SARVER.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED 001210, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Gear Fa w M, Q am 1 I: mz l N m Wk 0 5% m 4V k .1 Y WM 5 PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905., e. W.v POX & 1). B. SARVER.

GATE.- 7 APPLICATION FILED 90119, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WASHINGTON FOX AND DAVID EIOHARD SARVER, OF LARAMIE,

WYOMING.

GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed October 10, 1903. Serial No. 176,455.

To all whom, it may concern.-

. Be it known that we, GEORGE WASHINGTON Fox and DAVID EIOHARD SARVER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Laramie, in the county of Albany and State of Wyo- Ining,have invented a new and Improved Gate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to an improvement in gates, especially farm and ranch gates.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a simple, economic, and effective gate, capable of being expeditiously and conveniently operated by a person either riding or walking, which gate is practically a self-opening and gravity-closing gate.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a construction of gate which in opening and closing will squarely engage with either of the stop-posts and in which inclined track-bars are employed, capable of being simultaneously inclined in the same direction toward either stop-post, causing the gate to automatically travel to the stop-post toward which the track-bars are inclined, said trackbars being operated through the medium of properly-connected levers within reach of the person riding or walking and located at opposite sides of the central post forthe gate, to open and close the gate.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide an automatically-acting latch for the gate and to construct suitable guides for the gate, and'friction-rollers on said guides, facilitating the action of the said gate.

The invention consists in the novel construc: tion and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gate in closed position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the gate in open position. Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of the gate, the section being taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4.; and Fig. 4 is a plan View of the improved gate.

A represents the center post, B and B the stop or striking posts, located one at the right and the other at the left of the center post A, between which the gate O has movement.

D represents standards located one in front and the other at the rear of the center post A. The standards D are in alinement with each other and with the center post, and the striking-posts B and B are likewise substantially in alinement one with the other and with the center post A, as is best shown in Fig. 1.

A track-bar Z) is pivoted at its outer end at the upper portion of the stop-post B, the inner end of the said track-bar 6 having movement at a side of the center post. A second trackbar 6 is pivoted at its outer end at the upper portion of the stop-post B, and the inner end of this latter track-bar Z) has free movement at the opposite side of the said center post,

as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Achain, rope,

or cable 10 connects the free ends of the two track-bars Z) and b, and this rope, chain, or

cable 10 passes over a grooved pulley 11, mounted to turn at the upper portion of the center post A. In the arrangement of the two track-bars Z) and b the inner end of one is above the inner end of the other, and these track-bars are always inclined in the same direction. When the gate O is closedthat is, when it is located between the center post A and the stop-post B, as is shown in Fig. 1-

both of the track-bars b and 6 incline down wardly in direction of the said stop-post B, as is shown in Fig. 1. When the gate-is open, however, it occupies a position between the center post A and the stoppost B, as is shown in Fig. 2, and the track-bars Z) and b incline downward in direction of the stop-post B'..

Thus, it will be observed, at one time the inner end of the track-bar I) is higher than the corresponding end of the track-bar 6, whereas in the second position of the gate the inner end of the track-bar b is higher than the inner end of the track-bar b. A rail 12 is secured upon the upper face of each track-bar b and b, as is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and the said rails extend practically from end to end of the track-bars.

The gate C may be of any desired construction; but the gate is provided with a forward end 13, more or less inclined in adown ward and rearward direction, while the rear end 14 is inclined in a downward and forward direction, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The inclinations at the ends of the gate are pro-j vided in order that the gate when it is closed' may squarely strike the stop-post vB, and, when the gate is opened the rear end 1450f,

IOv

the gate may as squarely strike the opposite stop-post B, as in both the open and closed positions of the gate the body portion of the gate is more or less inclined.

Arms 16 and 17 are carried vertically and in parallelism, respectively, from the forward and the rear ends of the gate 0, and a yoke 16, preferably of metal, is secured to the arm 16, while a corresponding yoke 17 is attached to the arm 17. The track-bar 5 passes through the yoke 16, and the track bar I) passes through the yoke 17. In the yoke 16 a peripherally-grooved friction wheel or pulley 19 is pivoted, engaging with the rail 12 on the track-bar b, and a similar wheel or pul ley 20 is mounted to turn in the yoke 17, engaging with the rail 12 on the track-bar Z). The space between the upper ends of the arms 16 and 17 and the lower edges of the track-bars b and 7) is just sufficient to permit the gate to be raised when the track-bars are elevated, but is not suflicient to permit the friction rollers or wheels 19 20 to leave the rails 12.

The gate 0 travels between the center post A and a stay-post A, the stay-post being nearer the roadway than thecenter post A, as is shown best in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and" when the gate is opened the forward end of the gate will be substantially flush with the front face of the stay-post A, so that the said staypost at such time serves to prevent a vehicle from striking the gate as it passes over the roadway uncovered by the gate. The staypost A also serves in connection with the center postA to prevent the gate from being laterally displaced by high winds, and in order that the gate shall move with the least possible amount of friction between the two posts A and A a friction-roller 21 is mounted to turn vertically on the center post A, engaging with one side of the gate, and a second friction-roller 22 is vertically mounted on the stay-post A, engaging with the opposite side of the gate.

The free end of the track-bar I) is raised through the medium of two levers E and E, extending to the front and rear of the gate structure, and these levers E and E are pivoted between their ends at one side of the standards D. The said levers at their inner ends pass through a stirrup 23, extending down from the free end of the track-bar b,

and the free ends of the said levers E and E have recesses 24: therein (shown in Fig; 3) to receive the bottom member of the said stirrup. At the outer end of each leverE and E a chain 25 or its equivalent extends downward, so that either lever may be readily operated by a person riding or by a person on foot. The track-bar b is provided with corresponding levers F and F forward and rearward of the gate structure, being pivoted between their ends at the opposite sides of the said standards D. The levers F and F at their inner ends are recessed, as are the levers E and E, (see Fig. 3,) and the recessed portions of the levers F and F are carried through a stirrup 26, extending downward from the front end of the track-bar 7}, as is shown in Fig. 1. The levers F and F are provided with chains 27, or their equivalents, extending downward from their outer ends.

A keeper 28, usually in the form of a pin, is secured to one side of the gate at its forward end, as is shown in Fig. 1, and the said keeper is adapted to be engaged by a gravitylatch 29, pivoted upon the stop-post B. This gravity-latch 29 is connected by a link 30, or a cord, with an elbow-lever 31, pivoted upon the upper end portion of the post B, and the said elbow-lever 31 is likewise attached to a second rope or cable 32, which extends to the center post A and is passed over a pulley 33-,

carried by the said post, the opposite end of the said rope or cable 32 being attached tothe inner end portion of the lever F, for example. In the operation of the gate when the gate is closed, as is shown in Fig. 1, the track-bars I Z) and Z2 incline downwardly toward thestoppost B, the inner end of the track-bar 6- being above the inner end of the track-bar U. When the gate is to be opened, either one of the levers E or E is drawn downward, and the action of the levers will' be to elevate the inner end of the track-bar Z), thus permitting the inner ends of the levers F and F to drop downward, and the track-bars will then assume the position shown in Fig. 2', inclining in direction of the stop-post B, and as the inner end of the lever F drops downward the latch 29 is automatically raised from the keeper 28 and the gate is free to travel down the rear inclined planes provided for it by the position of the track-bars until the rear end of the gate fairly strikes against the stop bar B. When the gate'is to be closed, either lever For F is drawn downward to again place the track-bars b and 6 in their normal position-namely, with an inclination toward thestop-post B' and when the track-bars are placed in this latter position the gate of its own volition will gravitate to its full-closed position in engagement with the stop-post B.

Having thus described our invention, weclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent v 1. Pivoted track-barshaving an inclination in the same direction, a tiltable gate having a sliding support on the track-bars, stop-posts for the gate, the ends of the gate being inv clined downwardly in opposite directions to cause the same tomeet in flat engagement with said stop-posts, and means for simultaneously shifting the position of the free ends of the said track-bars to change their inclination, as described.

2. A center post, stop-posts at opposite sides of the center post, standards at the front and at the rear of the center post, track-- bars pivoted to the stop-posts, a pulley being inclined downwardly in direction of each other to cause the same to meet in flat engagement with said stop-posts, as described. 15

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification 1n the presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

GEORGE WASHINGTON FOX. DAVID EICHARD SARVER.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. NAGEL, JOHN B. ISBERG. 

